Peak Oil is You
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Page added on May 13, 2011
How Peak Oil Solves The Climate Change Problem
Peak oilists warn that fossil fuel depletion will cause an economic collapse.
Climatologists say carbon emissions will cause an environmental crisis.
To a certain extent, only one of these doomsday scenarios can happen. If fossil fuel reserves are limited to the low end of the projection (see chart), then the world will automatically enter the climate change stabilization scenario. If on the other hand fossil fuel reserves reach the high end, then there is no peak crisis.
Both groups look toward the same solution: A reduction of fossil fuel use.
The IPCC‘s Jean-Pascal van Ypersele discussed these issues in a presentation at last week’s ASPO conference.
The last 50 years have seen the highest temperature in the last 1,300 years
The effects of warming can be seen in rising temperatures, sea level and reduction in northern hemisphere snow cover
Image: ASPO 9 Conference
Temperature has increased significantly since 1880
Image: ASPO 9 Conference
Arctic ice mass has shrunk significantly since 1979
Image: ASPO 9 Conference
90% of warming since 1960 has been because of an increase in greenhouse gas emissions
Image: ASPO 9 Conference
Rising sea levels could have a drastic affect on water supplies around the world
Image: ASPO 9 Conference
Belgium could see vast flooding by the year 3000
Image: ASPO 9 Conference
People in Houston and Phoenix use vast amounts of energy in transport
Image: ASPO 9 Conference
Every sector has technical options that can help it cut emissions
Image: ASPO 9 Conference
Energy consumption is low in countries like Italy and Japan that have high fuel costs
Image: ASPO 9 Conference
Carbon dioxide emissions are expected to peak sometime in the next 80 years
Image: ASPO 9 Conference
Climate mitigation measures also have cons that include high costs and ground water pollution
Image: ASPO 9 Conference
Simple lifestyle changes across societies like better urban planning can reduce global warming
One Comment on "How Peak Oil Solves The Climate Change Problem"
Edpeak on Sat, 14th May 2011 7:15 am
“Peak oilists warn that fossil fuel depletion will cause an economic collapse.Climatologists say carbon emissions will cause an environmental crisis.To a certain extent, only one of these doomsday scenarios can happen”
Not true: a peak in oil or energy could mean a Plateau for a long time, which would be BOTH bad for economies (unless we have massive conservation, renewables, etc, which BAU is not donig) AND ALSO give us too much additional GHG.
Meanwhile peak oil can help make many things worse: more use of tar sands, with higher GHG emissions, for example.
On top of that, even if peak oil was minigating climate crisis (rather than making it worse via tar sands etc), it would be one factor making things “not quite as bad” while many many other factors:
the many feedbacks not inlucded in recent (or even many current) models
will make things many steps worse than the prediction. One step forward, three steps back. Or one step back (more use of tar sands, other unconventional sources) and three steps back.